


A New Hope

by thebrightestbird



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Humor, Light meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 23:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6828967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebrightestbird/pseuds/thebrightestbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“With all the royalty you know, what are you doing bothering with us lowly criminals?”</em>
</p>
<p>Continues the scene at the end of Civil War (before the credits roll).</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Hope

**Author's Note:**

> One last warning for Civil War spoilers. 
> 
> Also, apologies to George Lucas for stealing the Star Wars subtitle.

“Hey, man,” Sam says. “Took you long enough.”

Steve shrugs. “Sorry, I had to get in touch with my old pal Namor, king of Atlantis, to help me get to this place. It’s impossible to reach him most of the time seeing how cell phone service underwater is nonexistent.”

Sam hears a “haha!” come from the direction of Clint’s cell. Everyone’s on their feet now and are as close to the bars as they can without setting off the alarms.

“Ohhh, Mr. Big Shot. First the prince-king of Wakanda, now the king of Atlantis,” Sam says. “With all the royalty you know, what are you doing bothering with us lowly criminals?”

Steve doesn’t answer. Just smiles big and genuine at Sam. Steve seems to be taking in the sight of Sam, looking relieved to see he’s okay enough to give him grief (per usual).

“How have you managed to get in here?” Wanda asks. “Are we really going to escape?”

Steve turns to her. “Yes, you’re getting out of here. _All of you_. I’m going to get you to safety. I’m sorry I got you all here. I am so sorry. That fight wasn’t yours.”

“Captain, we fought with you because we believe in you,” Scott says. “You followed your heart and helped where you saw the need. With the information you had, there was no other choice but to go to Siberia.”

Steve looks touched. “Thanks, Mr. Lang. I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Sure, Cap. I mean, how could you have known that it all turned out to be some insanely intricate plot to tear the Avengers apart and turn them against each other that probably only would have realistically had a one in a billion shot of actually being realized at every step and that you had the bad luck of it completely succeeding on your watch.”

Sam groans and shakes his head. _Well-meaning dope_. Clint cackles in his cell.

Scott realizes what he’d done. “I, uh … I ruined the moment, didn’t I?”

Suddenly, a ripple appears in the space next to Steve and a woman appears out of seemingly nowhere. “Yeah, Scott,” she says. “Yeah, you did.”

Everyone in a cell jumps back in surprise.

“Hope?!” Scott shrieks.

“To answer Wanda’s first question about how I got in here,” Steve says, “well, I had some help, of course. Everyone, this is Hope Van Dyne, also known as the Wasp. She managed to shrink and do some major internal damage to the security.”

She lifts her helmet’s face plate to show a nervous smile and flutters her wings in greeting. (Sam has extreme wing envy.)   

The main door opens, and Sharon barrels through. She scans the room quickly, accounting for those she knew to look for, then lands her eyes on Steve. Sam has no doubt Sharon is truly relieved to see everyone accounted for and relatively unharmed, but he can tell she was mostly worried for Steve.

And Steve looks just as relieved to see her safe. Sam’s guessing they had to split up to accomplish their designated tasks to break into the facility, and each was left to kick ass on their own terms.

“Steve, we need to get a move on,” Sharon says. “His highness is still upset that he’s the getaway pilot.”

“His highness?” Sam asks with arms crossed. “Is this the one who shoots lightning bolts or the one who likes cats?”

“Or were you serious about Namor being real?” Clint asks. “Because at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.” He throws his arms open in welcome of the inevitable information that, yes, Atlantis exists.

“King T’Challa is graciously assisting us,” Steve answers instead. “He’s offered all of us sanctuary until we can figure out our next step.”

The incarcerated heroes take in that information for a moment. Sam hadn’t doubted Steve would succeed in getting them out, but to hear there was a safe destination once they were free, well, it was true, honest hope hitting them for the first time since getting here.

But Scott’s “oh, God, ow!” ends the reverie, and Sam looks to see another kind of “hope” hitting Scott. Right in the face too.

“What the hell is the matter with you?!” Hope screams at Scott. “How could you go off to fight what was practically a war without my help?”

Sam guesses he missed her shrinking and somehow finding an opening (or more likely making an opening) to get behind the bars and glass with Scott.

“Look, honey, there wasn’t much time, and you weren’t around when Hawkeye of all people showed up at the front door and oh-so-calmly explained the situation to me while aiming an arrow at my crotch.”

Hope suddenly wraps her arms fiercely around him. She tucks her head in his neck as well as she can with her helmet on. “We are going to talk about this later, Scott,” she says shakily. She gives him a quick kiss, then unceremoniously shoves him away and shrinks again.

Within a few seconds the glass and bars retract for each cell. They come out seemingly as one and converge on Steve.

They aren’t Avengers anymore, and Sam can’t believe these good people who have sacrificed so much could be so dishonored. But then he looks at the man at their center.

Steve Rogers isn’t Captain America anymore, but the title wasn’t what made him a hero. He proved that today by freeing them. And as he gives instructions on how to make their way to the roof, the little hug he gives Wanda for encouragement, the assurance to Clint that he’ll get to speak to his family as soon as they’re in the air, and the last-minute fighting advice he offers Scott (“Ms. Van Dyne’s right. Turn your whole body into your punches. Just quit questioning her, man.”), Sam knows their faith in Steve isn’t blind.

Steve Rogers isn’t Captain America anymore, but he’s still their commander. And with him leading, they all might discover that they can be heroes once again.

-end-


End file.
